ABSTRACT
The family Tarsonemidae (Prostigmata or Actinedida) is very diverse in terms of its feeding habits, with some species feeding on algae, fungi, and plants (Meyer 1981, Lindquist 1986, Lin and Zhang 1999, 2002, Krantz and Walter 2009). Some tarsonemid mites are parasites. Other species are predators found in house dust and may be potential sources of human allergy. Tarsonemidae consists of three subfamilies and contains about 530 species in 40 genera. The family is primarily tropical and subtropical in its distribution, but some species are found in the Nearctic and Palearctic regions. The tarsonemid mites found as pests on plants primarily are in the Tarsoneminae and the Pseudotarsonemoidinae (Zhang and Liang 1997).
